Cmos Parasites: The Beginning
by Snowingroses
Summary: Have the Decepticons finally got the upper hand with the Cmos Parasites. These tiny little parasitic creatures will plunge the Autobots into some very dark times. Now they must find a way to repair what the Cmos damages. For that the Autobots this means they are going to have to finally enlist human help with some of their more intimate things such as repairs.
1. Chapter 1

Author Note:

The standard disclaimers apply. Do not own Transformers or any mention of companies or technologies. No I just get the joy of bending, blending and twisting all sorts of otherwise normal wiring engineering items together to create the Decepticons Parasites, which btw to the 'cons. These things could backfire so keep that in mind before offing any that might be able to stop them. 'Kay.

To everyone else, please R&R.

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><p>SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTHERN UNTIED STATES<p>

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><p>Well there they went again. Those damn little flashing light chasing each other around his under carriage. How embarrassing was that. He almost wished that lead light would catch its own tail maybe then it would short out and stop. Better yet, maybe it would fry. Then there would be no putting that crap back together and on him tomorrow night.<p>

He grumbled bouncing into another pothole as the lights set a chase again. "This is a job more suited for Jazz or Bumble Bee. What do the humans get from this humiliating display?"

Epps flashed Lennox a cheeky grin.

"Told you Ironhide in this part the world trucks are the movers and shakers. Low slung little fancy sports cars don't cut it down here in the south. In case you haven't notice there are ruts so deep we lost Jazz all the way up to his hood. 'Sides they use trucks to haul everything from dogs to-"

Ironhides voice synthesizer cut Epps short of giving him the lowdown of exactly what all they did haul around in trucks. Guns and girls were one thing but when he'd gone on to the livestock. Goats to be exact yesterday Ironhide had heard enough.

Three weeks 5 hours and 36 minutes later into this nightly ritual rolling through the streets, Ironhide was finally stolen. That is just what they wanted. Now what he just wanted was to lose those tacky little running lights and those two fuzzy squares tied to his rearview mirror.

Dice, Lennox had called it. When he did get out of this mess he was going to take those fuzzy squares on a string and wrap it around Brains neck. Followed by shoving those irritating little chase light straight up Jazz's-. Before he could mentally finish plotting where he was going to stick those lights, his dopey thief ground his gears so hard he thought for certain he was about to start sputtering up curls of shaved metal. What in the name of primus had he let himself get talked into? All in the line of duty his taillights.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: This is one of those unplanned things that I have decided to include after going back over my story idea. It will help explain some dropped comments and stuff that otherwise no one would know about. Besides the fact I decided to base how parasites come into the fray when the Fallen shows up or maybe I should say was shown out. Yah! Optimus..

It should also be noted that this maybe disturbing, with cannibalizing. There isn't much but it is mentioned as is orgies. Yes, I have taken liberty and bent history somewhat to fit the bill here.

I would also like to take the time to point out the story is set in the present. I just felt the need to go back a couple of years, visit the Fallen see what else he had going on, or should I say Megatron had going on.

Please consider R&R.

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><p>DECEPTICON LAIR THE FALLEN<p>

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><p>The fallen watched the humans with disinterest. The group of five organic species showed only faint signs of intelligence, compared to what his species was capable of. He found them to be nothing more than parasites with spinal cords. But Megatron with his own agenda wanted that small group of humans left alone. So he would humor his servant only of course until he became jaded with whatever Megatron was cooking up.<p>

What he saw of them did not make them top of their field well perhaps in lust or greed but that was always the thing about species he had come into contact with, they had a price. Normally it was lust or greed, but for his pathetic brothers it had been a creed that no planet with life form would have its sun harvested to make their life preserving energon.

He'd saw things differently, what difference did it make? Their planet was dead, cast into insurmountable darkness; it was a mechaniod cannibalizing mechaniod. Didn't his brothers understand that? They were killing their own to devour what the other had. This spinal cord based organisms had shown him that, they did it amongst themselves, all of the time.

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><p>HIS FIRST ARRIVAL<p>

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><p>To them he had been a Deity an Idol. They went out capturing and killing other tribesmen to prove to their most high Deity they were worthy of his favor. The ones who died on the battle field were the lucky ones. For the captured ones, highly prized warriors displaying for all the glory their battle scars, testament to their ability, they were the ones that would be offered up to the most high Deity.<p>

The Fallen could still recall prisoners were brought in cleaned up, tended to, feed, and even lusted after. Females from the capturing tribesmen would indulge excessively and unrestrained sexually with multiple captured warriors. Hoping to spawn sparks of great powerful warriors worthy one day to be lay to waste on an alter to the most high Deity.

Poor unintelligent beings did they not know or were they to drunk on the ecstasy of mating that they would soon enough be splayed out on a stone alter before his throne and eviscerated followed by their heart still beating being ripped out and either offered up to the Deity or devoured? More often than not it was devoured.

He'd even witnessed though he doubted now or if there ever was recorded, sacrifices where predominantly femme tribe members would actually mate on the alter with their sacrificial male offering even as he lay in the throes of death.

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><p>But that was then, this is now. He reminded himself. He was growing more and more disinterested with the small band of organisms, until Megatron revealed a plan. Megatron had some of the greedy little leech of organisms doing bidding for him. This made the Fallen smile. Now that was why he had originally chosen the power lusting mechaniod for his intermediary. He was always on course and plotting.<p>

Three were in a contracted group and they had managed to bring two military men into their loop, though by what means was a little underhanded. The two military men would and could prove a little hard to keep under control so, the lead contractor had schemed to get something near and dear to both men.

It had come in a small package the Fallen thought. A femme, of all things, she was no warrior material. She wasn't even sturdy enough he figured to produce spark. So why did the male desire her, in such a manner? In the ancient tribes, members only of the sturdy and enduring were permitted mating. He saw her as nothing more than a flawed piece of armor too weak to hold and therefore she should be discarded.

It was only after a little research on Soundwaves part did he see the value in the once thought figurative flawed armor. She was like the soft inter piece that guarded a mechaniods spark. She was held very close to the male's heart, making them willing and pliable to his bidding.

Another even more interesting fact one that put the femme at risk was she had lied to get into contract service. She wasn't eighteen. Meaning she had deceived the military. If the ones that knew this, the two males in the military and they did nothing well they would be held accountable too. Perfect it would make her very controllable. Or at least from their stand point it would.

But one should know, never judge a book by its cover. A lesson they would later learn from the femme herself. She would be their teacher on that subject matter.


	3. Chapter 3

AN:

This chapter is set in the present I would like to point out none of the Autobots are dead in this story, that is very annoying. As are none of the Decepticons dead, well outside of The Fallen. He just wanted to destroy everything and well okay so Megatron is a nasty one but still you kind of get the impression he will keep pets….

I hope.

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><p>THE DEATH OF THE FEMME<p>

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><p>The garage if it could be called that was filthy. For a moment he actually wondered if he could get a fungal grease infection from just sitting in the tiny little berth. So this is what Skids and Mudflap's hillbilly hell looked and smelled like. Sulfur and rotten eggs, oh joy.<p>

He had been so wrong when Skids and Mudflap got into that bad bit of fuel. They had reeked of something similar for weeks and constantly backfired. Ratchet had suggested off handedly they should light a match. No doubt a human comment he'd picked up. A couple of days later when they had actually done it though was when things really went sour and that was probably why he was really here. No doubt Cybertron karma hard at work. He had definitely learnt his lesson. He would never again suggest blow torches to those two idiots. _**Ever again.**_

Now left with nothing but his thoughts and surroundings he kept his scanners open. Maybe this was actually just a regular car thief ring. But just in case and the fact if he got terribly bored he could always tune into what the other Autobots were doing. Jazz and Ratchet were always worth tuning into, especially when the little silver saboteur was_ bored_ and _spoiling for a fight_.

In the wee early morning hours he detected before he saw, a human female tottering in. She was ghastly pale. Limp locks of blonde curls poked up from multiple directions on her head. Her black spaghetti strap dress hung lopsided from one shoulder. She wiped at her nose. Ironhide thought he had even heard just the squeak of a sob escape her. She scratched at her arm. Picking at something. Odd she just kept picking at it why, he wondered.

She stumbled falling against his front grill plate. It give Ironhide time to take her in more clearly. She looked unhealthy. No actually he thought for a brief moment she looked like walking death. And she smelled almost the same. She was so thin, her blue eyes were blood shot the pupils were dilated, and she seemed sweaty as if she had just come from exercising.

Where ever she was planning on going to he doubted she'd make it on her own. But he didn't lock his doors when she crept and clung to him to get to his door. She struggled to figure out the basics of lifting the door handle.

Surrendering after she dragged those three quarter inch red lacquered nails down his side for the fourth time, he popped the door open. So he thought oddly to himself that was where the phrase nails on a chalkboard come from. _That was very annoying_.

She slumped in behind the wheel after what was a Cybertronian eternity, to Ironhide. The only semi-pleasing thing at the moment to him was, that she had lost those spiked shoes. Those could hurt a fella he thought off handily. Not the mention she had stepped in moldy grease.

Fumbling for the switch, she pawed his steering column. Making Ironhide think it had been a truly bad idea to have let her in at all. But here they were now heading to who knew where. He'd just let her believe she was driving but he'd manage all the driving and braking himself. And if the destination begin to look unfavorable well, he could always call in back up.

He had done well not to react to anything she had done to him thus far, though the nails down this door and then again across the steering column had been near deal breakers. But when she grabbed the floor shifter and went to shove it into another gear without first depressing the clutch that was the final straw. There was skidding and smoke as the large black Topkick went sideways into a brutal stop just a mere eight inches from clipping a power pole.

"**Keep your hands to yourself**"a gruff male voice growled from every inch of the cab.

She drew back a look of horror turned all struck flooded her face. She started messing with every knob, dial, and button she could get her hands on. "_Come on- pretty truck- talk to me_." She sing songed.

He'd give her pretty truck if she didn't stop immediately. He thought darkly.

**"Touch one more thing**." Ironhides tone was rough. "And I will boot you out. Now if you will kindly sit back and direct me to where you wish to be taken." She lifted a finger to touch the door panel, but he greeted her with a firm "**DO NOT**." So she sat back picking at places on her arms and legs. Mentally Ironhide groaned. What had he gotten himself into?

The sun was just beginning to crest as Ironhide backed his way back into the dank smelly garage. The woman nestled on the passenger seat, in a strange stupor. This took place at least every other day with Ironhide trying to make sense of it for a solid week. He had begun to make headway with the woman. He had learned her name was Carney. And if the photograph she had shoved into his grill really was her she had once been an attractive human female.

He'd never hinted he could transform or do any more than she was already aware of, he had also made it a point to not respond around anyone but her. Not there were many who came to the filthy little garage.

The boyfriend the one that had originally stole him did come around. But he was mainly checking something. He kept referring to cooking off. And the smell Ironhide was beginning to find it caustic and messing with his systems.

On a particularly bad evening Carney and said boyfriend got into some frantic mating mood. But before it really heated, up. She insisted on pushing Ironhide out into the little alley. Personally Ironhide found the humans mating customs very violent and distasteful. There appeared to be a lot of the male human domineering the female. He actually beat human female, bringing blood. Why?

Is this how they got offspring? He just didn't see this as right. Lennox and his mate didn't seem violent towards each other. They had offspring. The boy Witwicky and his mate though aggressive seeming weren't violent. Something just wasn't right. He needed to contact Lennox and Optimus. But that horrid caustic smell- it was messing with his systems, keeping him from accessing valuable information or com linking to the others. He now had to decide did he try to leave and go get help or did he stay. In the end he'd left to find Optimus Prime or at least get them a message as to where he was and what the situation was.

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><p>Epps trooped back past the caution tape strung up around a wide perimeter barrier. Flicking his hood loose from the bottom portion of his hazmat suit he shook his head. "Hey, there was nothing anyone could have done. Place went off. Man' those meth labs ain't nothing to play around with. Like mortar fire in there."<p>

Lennox watched Ironhide his optics dilating, turning to large blue orbs. He knew the Autobot felt he was to blame for at least the woman's death. How were you suppose to tell a six ton 25 ft Autobot it wasn't his fault a human become a casualty of drug manufacturing. It after all wasn't a drug sting they were running it was supposed to be a Deception car theft ring they were trying to bust up.

Ratchet stepped up beside Ironhide. "Come on let's go get you detoxed and straighten back out. I feel confident if we take care of this now there will be no lasting damage."

Ironhide held his position until Carney had been removed from what remained of the burnt out hull of the filthy little garage. He'd had no interest in the male but he had taken one last look at the female. Her broken soot smudged body made him see how fragile the human race really was. He watched the humans, as they covered _**the body**_, as the human female Carney was now known as. She was no more. It wasn't that he wasn't familiar with death and destruction. He knew it all too well, he just didn't understand why the human female wanted so badly to self-destruct.

His large optics turned seeking out Prime. But he said nothing. Prime studied his old friend the battle scar over his eye somehow made him look all the sadder. _They are but a young species_, Optimus Prime had to remind himself as well as Ironhide.


	4. Chapter 4

.

AN: The character Millie, Kamila' & Kami are all the same person. Just other characters referring to her by different parts of her name. It should be noted Kami is what is known as a wiring engineer, which is just a flashy title for someone who can rewire or from ground up wire something.

A cmos chip actually comes in varying shapes and serves varying functions- but in this case I think I can safely say I am tweaking this one. I am going to say it is about an inch long with tiny little pins along both sides of it. About 14 down each side.

This is set in the same timeframe The Fallen has arrived and is about to collect Earths sun. So basically while the good guys are fighting the baddies. The fallen has been sending out these little parasites to infiltrate earth's machines or maybe all in all they are supposed to cause bigger problems.

* * *

><p>"Optimus you have got to see this." Ratchet turned back to Brain as the small Autobot transformed back into a computer. A YouTube icon popped up on the screen followed by the beginning of the clip. The clip appeared to be about a military troop.<p>

Someone called to one of the members as they slid out from under a convoy truck. There were crude remarks and cat calls made. 'At least she knows her place, flat on her back and under something.' Someone commented. There was an off camera scuffle, followed by a stern warning. "That's my sister you're talking trash about. Now keep your damn mouth shut about her and every other woman for that matter, you asshole."

"Reich easy dude, just poking a little fun. Know poking. " Another voice replied.

The camera temporary swept away from the form sliding out from under the truck. There was more scuffling and then the form that had slid from under the truck came into the picture.

"Hey Reich is everything alright?" The voice was clearly female.

Reich grabbed the female in question pulling her close to him and draping an arm around her shoulders. Clearly a move to indicate the human female was under his watchful protection "It's okay Millie, now what were you saying."

"Sure everything's okay Reich?" She turned her face up to look at the man who seemed to be protecting her.

"Yeah, sis. Now what were you saying."

"Well I will just have to pry another one off for you to see. I broke this one. She opened her hand to reveal what looked like a crushed Cmos chip. I found a couple so far."

Reich stopped looking at dust the girl held in her hand as another soldier approached. "Kamila my love." He grabbed her sweeping her around and causing her to lose the bits of scrap and dust she did have. He kissed her distracting her from seeing her brother grind the remnants of what she had lost into the ground.

She laughed and pushed away the one who appeared to be her mate. "Stop it Daniel you will get disbanded for messing with the contracted help or you'll earn me a boot. So help me if I get the boot, well let's just say you will looking for yourself a new girlfriend."

"Kamila you cut me to the bone."

Optimus had the clip rolled back to and then paused at the images of the girl holding the Cmos chip in her hand.

"When was this video taken?" He felt he already knew and he was almost certain where it was taken too.

But the conformation Brain gave made him feel terrible. The outcome of the small band of humans couldn't have been good.

"Are there anymore clips? When were these recorded?" Optimus ask. As more of the Autobots edged around Brains monitor form.

Ratchet and Ironhide began supplying details. "Right after Megatron's trip to Egypt."

"There is one more clip of this group, Optimus." Ironhide replied as Brain booted up the final clip.

Again it showed the same group of soldiers but provided no full detail of what they looked like. The human female following the countries customs kept her head and face covered. There were a couple of visible names Prime made a mental not to research. He was hoping there would survivors if this was what he actually thought it was.

The video cut away to where there were was some voices but nothing interesting again there were some catty cracks. But the two currently most important males were standing full guard alert as probably the female was working on something.

The camera ended up panning around looking at varying things before the female voice was distinctly heard. "Oh wow Reich you have got to see this, you just got to get Daniel."

A few minutes later the recording starts again. The female has pulled down some of the cloth covering her mouth. But she still clearly has her head and eyes covered. Her sunglasses glint back light as she looked up into the camera well pleased with her current find.

"See this is what I am talking about, this ya' is why these convoy trucks keep breaking down. I still don't understand why who ever installed these little Cmos chips on the underside of a motor."

"Millie, are these Cmos chip things attached to main power feeds or are they just on the motor?" The one called Reich stepped in closer to the female.

Millie "shrugged varying positioning. "This one looks good though. I mean well it looks like someone did a shoddy job. It still turned out nicely, when I removed it."

"Kamila, could you get to the point?" The one called Daniel ask. He suddenly seemed a bit more uptight.

"Okay let's look at it. See, I pulled this little beauty off the main motor harness know the one feeds everything, 96 pin connector goes into-" But before she could finish her little engineering spill the one called Daniel cut her short.

"Kamila, we know the basics now shut up and get on with why this is a beauty."

The other human male known as Reich seemed to give Daniel a warning glare. And the human female, Millie or Kamila seemed somewhat hurt.

"Look at this see the tendrils, I know it looks like someone couldn't solder their way out of a wet paper bag but these little tendrils of solder somehow seemed to penetrate the wiring insulation all without disturbing the integrity of the wiring structure."

"English." Reich tried not to snap.

"It works Reich just exactly like a splice, especially if the brain that done it knows what he was doing. Giving someone external control."

Reich sighed. "Hey, sis, sorry. I am just tired kid. So let's see your little beauty, huh Millie."

Optimus felt his spark slump at the site of what the human female held in the palm of her hand. Her badly soldered Cmos chip in reality was a decepticon hatchling protoform from a stasis pod. The tendrils of solder was actually its tendrils or feelers that could easily be compared to that of a parasite. They were in danger. No he reminded himself, they were probably already gone.

"Why wait so long to release this video? No a better question is who released the video." Sideswipe questioned.

"Find out the outcome of the humans." Optimus ordered. Then as an afterthought he added "See what information can be found out about the human female."

"Optimus this video is old so she is probably gone." Ratchet didn't bother adding what they were all thinking that if the Decepticons had gotten to her, there would be no human female in question to find anything else about.

Ratchet was probably right, but there was something about the brother, sister, and her mate. At least the two human males knew something. But the human female, she seemed oblivious to what she was finding. So either she really was naïve or she simply had no idea the magnitude of what she had discovered. He sighed hoping for the impossible that news would come back she was still alive and still functioning.

They really needed some extra help. Optimus Prime was selective what was shared with the humans as to Autobot repairs and weapons were never discussed. But this situation with Ironhide made Prime see how very important a human talent could be, but only if he found the right one. He just hoped he'd stumbled across the right one and they were still online.

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><p>Ironhide was still grumbling as Ratchet finished up the final stages of decontamination. "Never said it was going a breeze. Now stop complaining. I still have repairs to make. But until then I need to assess the damage."<p>

"Why, don't you chase down some leads to the humans or better yet why don't go work on torturing someone else." Ironhide was irked.

"Optimus." Brain transformed. "The repair team from this video died approximately a day and a half after it was made. Of the 15 member team, 5 were contract engineers, 10 man military unit. Two guards for everyone one. Of the 15 members, 11 were killed. 8 guards and 3 contractors. Another guard died after arriving stateside. He committed suicide."

"What of the humans the Ford's or Seagram?" Optimus inquired.

Brain simply began running images of all the deceased.

Reich Ford, deceased. -

Daniel Seagram, deceased.

Prime sighed out in grief. He had hoped, just maybe those three had survived.

Then Brain began running survivors.

Franklin Watts, survivor, military.

Dean White, survivor contractor.

Kamila (Kami) Ford, survivor contractor, brother deceased, fiancé deceased.

The female human had survived, but at what cost. So there was a flicker hope.

"Find out everything you can about Kamila Ford, Brain."

Ratchet approached looking at the monitor. "Optimus even if she could be found, she may be damaged."

"A chance we will have to take, Ratchet."

"Yes, well while we are at it Optimus about Ironhide. This exposure to the caustic building has damaged some of Ironhide's internal systems. I believe I can repair them but it could take months possibly longer."

Optimus studied Ratchet a beat and then let his optics shift to the weapons specialist. Ironhide was taking his weapons through the paces. A sure sign he was irritated and worried. He sighed perhaps it really was time to start searching for that human to help.


	5. Chapter 5

Lennox glanced at his watch again, then towards Epps and several of the Autobots. He debated if this was really such a hot idea introducing them to more humans. Especially given what had went down with Ironhide. The woman's death had done something to the Autobots weapons specialist. Ratchet seemed to think it was just lingering effects from spending a week closed up in the caustic garage with two human's hell bound and hell-bent on killing themselves. Ratchet also believed there were a few things that needed to be changed on Ironhide, but it would take him a while to do it, unless they could get a well trusted human to do the work. If they had still been on Cybertron it would have been much easier, with available equipment and bots with small hands.

"You talk to her?" Epps ask.

Lennox exhaled a breath. He rubbed at the back of his head. "Yeah, I talked to her." He made it a point to try and have some form of contact with her at least every couple of months no matter how hard she had tried to make it on him and everyone else who wanted to still be a part of her life.

"She stop going to therapy?" Epps ask.

Lennox nodded.

"She hasn't gone since she got state side."

Epps, gave Lennox's shoulder a squeeze. "She's tough, 'sides she knows she still has family."

"Yeah." Lennox nodded. He still couldn't understand how she'd been flown into a war zone as a contract wire engineering specialist, ending up in a group with both her boyfriend and brother as guards for the group. It had ended tragically with only four members surviving a once strong group of 16. Of the survivors one had died stateside of injuries the other two Lennox had no idea where they were now. The only one he was sure of was Kamila aka Kami and that was where they were headed to see her.

In route to the middle of nowhere and to the place where Kamila Ford called home Lennox filled the small band of Autobots in on who Kamila was and what she did. He knew the rule of thumb was hold nothing back from them. He also knew they would want to do their own investigating who she was and what she did. He also knew they would research what had happened to the group she had been attached too. Maybe they would discover what happened to Kami's brother, boyfriend and even Kami.

Dust still rolled down the long dirt road even as the vehicles come to a stop in front of part of an old hangar. Multiple piles of metal littered the field as if someone had intended to construct a more on to the building but they had just never got around to it. To the other side of the building sat an old Deuce and half truck was a single human life form nestled up in the motor well, the only one the Autobots detected.

Hopping down she, for they could only assume she was female by her manner of dress and small stature, turned towards them.

_**Definitely female. **_Ratchet declared.

_**How can you be sure?**_ Bumble Bee chirped.

But it was Jazz who answered. _**If the tight fitting jeans missing might I add most of the rear panel, isn't enough, the figure is also a good indicator. Even if the hat and sunglasses cover up some of her feminine appearance. That and she smells purely of vanilla, and delicious choice might I add. **_

Lennox and Epps took Kamila in. She had gotten a little more mature. Her taste in dress had also matured. But for them she would always be one of the guy's kid sister and a brother's girlfriend.

"What" she stopped in front of them.

Epp's motioned with his hand indicating her overall appearance.

She smiled and did a little twirl for the two men.

"I'm covered."

"Mostly." Lennox muttered.

"Mostly?" She shot back.

"Look a girl has got to do what a girl has to do. I look like I might be walking trouble, no one wants to mess with me. Know what say have to play up the bad ass or your.. Well never mind, you probably wouldn't know anyway."

All five of the Autobots were scanning the human female before them. Her jeans were ripped in multiple places with the two most alarming rips just right under her butt. Though there were places in the knees, one at her upper thigh but it wasn't to revealing.

Her shirt appeared to be a tank top covered over by a long sleeved blue jean shirt. The tank top didn't appear to reveal much about her small breasts. Probably why she wore her jeans the way she did. The Autobots thought, human females seemed to dress this way to attract their counterparts. Why the Autobots did not understand.

The hat and sunglasses concealed much of her face, but she appeared to have a tiny nose and cupids bow lips. They were still unsure of her, so they maintained their automotive form.

She broke into a smile stepping towards the two men opening her arms wide, to be embraced.

Each of them hugged her fiercely. As Epps let her go she wiped at her eyes.

"So, what is this government contract job, you have for me, assuming I am willing to take it on."

Lennox inhaled deeply then exhaled.

"Kamila Ford, I would like to introduce you to-" He turned to the Autobots.

Optimus Prime transformed first, followed by Jazz, Ratchet, Bumble Bee, and finally Ironhide. Kami had never seen anything like it. It both frightened her and gave her a little thrill. She'd stepped backwards until she stood touching both the men, feeling for reassurances from them.

_**Not so tough after all**_ Ironhide thought.

Optimus made a step forward. He immediately realize the human female was still alarmed to be in his presence.

"Kamila Ford. I am Optimus Prime leader of the Autobots."

Getting a little nerve back up Kamila stepped forward. "Kami, please."

"Kami, it is." His voice rumbled soothingly, doing more to win the human female over to curiosity instead of fear.

Ratchet immediately detected that the human females heart pace had changed again and all at the sound of Optimus voice. The first time it had been when she was greeted by two old friends and then when they the Autobots had transformed and now at the sound of voice. She was new to him and different he wanted to continue to monitor her.

"Kami" Optimus began again. "Jazz" The once sleek Pontiac Solstice, swooped down into a bow.

"A pleasure to meet you." Jazz responded.

"Likewise." She replied with a small curtsy.

"This is Bumble Bee." Bumble Bee responded only the way Bumble Bee could respond.

"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." It was Rhett Butler speaking to Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" but it earned a giggle from Kami. "Pleased to meet you, m'lady." He added with another radio scan.

She actually smiled. "Oh so you gonna be my Rhett?' She ask Bumble Bee in an equally southern twang. Which pleased him to no end. Now none of them were going to be able to stand him. There was much Autobot groaning.

"Oh now you done gone and done it. He will flirt with and for you none stop." Ratchet good naturally ribbed the other yellow bot.

This earned the Autobots another glimpse of someone she hadn't been in a long time. She slid the sunglasses down to her nose.

"Really?" She ask harmlessly.

Ironhide snorted. "It's like feeding a stray. It owns you now."

"What?" Kami had pulled the glasses completely off now.

Eeps and Lennox chuckled.

"Know like feeding a stray. They don't go away, they take up with you." Eeps give her a reassuring squeeze.

"Though, we know you're not the sort for ownership."

Kami gave Eeps a playful punch in the shoulder.

Ratchet stepped forward introducing himself and all tactfully without embarrassing the human female any more than he already had. Though he had to admit, he'd already seen an array of different emotions flowing from her in a small span of time. She interested him that voices seemed to affect her heart rate. This would be helpful in his newly chosen study interest of the human race.

"And this is Ironhide." Optimus Prime introduce the weapon specialist.

Ironhide merely greeted her with growl.

Kami took a nervous step back, he was purely intimidating, and he didn't seem to particularly like her either. Then there was the scar that sliced through what should be his brow, just down into his eye. It made him appear very scary.

Bumble Bee responded in another of his patched voices. "Don't mind him he just switched to decaf."

Kami tried hard to stifle a bark of laughter. But in the end the humor won out.

She received a freezing glare for it, from Ironhide.

Optimus Prime was quick to intervene. "Easy Ironhide."

She stepped forward. "Really color morphics? Whooh I'd be cranky too. That is a cruel joke if ever there was one. I mean undercarriage running lights? Seriously?"

Ironhide growled again.

Kami went wide-eyed. "If mean I suppose if you like that. The blue is nice color." She was still holding the small strip of lights she had plucked loose from Ironhide.

"Well uhm they talk you into fuzz dice too?"

She really needed to just shut up. She tugged at brim of her ball hat pulling it down lower. She just knew she had pissed the big guy off and there was about to hell to pay for it.

"Anyway, ah." She was mentally squirming trying to figure how she was going to get out of this mess she'd just talked her way into.

"Ah, well it is what it is." She muttered attempting to tug the hat down lower, as if it could get any lower.

She turned and started towards the open door of her personal maintenance shop.

It started as a small rumble that grew into a deep rumbling laughter.

"Well at least the human female see can see they are absolutely pointless feature too."

Ironhides voice froze her. She turned looking back at him and then up towards him. She shook her head she could have sworn she heard a hint of southern in the deep growling voice.

Ironhides optics fully dilated open onto the female. There was something almost familiar about her.

She'd again turned and started up a set of wooden steps. Her back to him. He knew he should leave well enough alone but it had been there just for the briefest moment, and now he had to know.

"Human female, remove your hat." There he's spoken it. I was a simple request. He'd seen no harm in the request, it wasn't a demand.

Both Ratchet and Prime had chided Ironhide for his request. But it was the Human female who really let him have it.

She stood a little taller, turning on heel to glare at the Autobot who'd dare talk to her like she was, well she didn't know what. But it pissed her off.

"The human female has a name. In fact I expect it to be used." She spat back.

Ironhide snorted. "Very well Kamila Ford remove your hat."

* * *

><p>"Are sure it is such a good idea, leaving Ironhide with the human female, kami?" Ratchet ask Prime.<p>

"Yeah." Jazz chuckled. "She is feisty. Probably push every kill button Ironhide has."

"It's more than just that. She is an identical twin to the dead woman from the garage." Bumblebee added.

"Not identical but close enough that it is disturbing. Look Optimus, maybe we should find someone else to repair Ironhide. I could do it, but it is going to a long drawn out process. There would be a lot of down time and rework."

"No Ratchet. We can't afford lengthy down times with either. Ironhide will not hurt the human female, I am sure of it."

"Optimus, he's growled, snarled and snorted at her since we have gotten here, giving her more than one fright, I suspect her heart rate hasn't been that high since she come back from combat . And might I add she has done her share of things too annoy him. "

"Ratchet, humans, particularly human females have a way about establishing an order among their counterparts. Let's face it Ironhide pissed her off and she is like Carney's ghost to him. It's a delicate dance that has-" Before Jazz could finish his comment.

A feminine scream ripped through the cooling evening air. "Please do something. I stepped on it. Get it. No- no get it away from me." There was a panicked sob. "Just get if off me, it's crawling."

"Stand still." Ironhide growled.

Another panicked sob. "I am."

Rounding the corner they found Ironhide had reached the human female first and he was trying to figure out how to separate the snake from the human, without harming said human. Both Eep's and Lennox watched in horror as a huge boa constrictor continued to encircle Kami even as Ironhide tried to pull it loose.

Forty five minutes after they had separated Kami and the snake and then the snake from Ironhide Kami still sat in the center of the room on a steel 55 gallon drum. Her knees pulled up under her chin and her arms wrapped around her knees. She fought to keep tears from falling, but she had given up on trying to hide the trembling. Eeps, Lennox, and the Autobots were still going over her garage looking for anymore snakes.

"Damn girl now tell me again why you chose to move into the middle of nowhere? You know this is the perfect place for snakes. With its warm almost tropical climate."

She didn't reply to Epps.

"Kami?" Lennox snapped his fingers in front of her. "How many snakes have you found?"

"Just a couple of small ones." She felt like she was being studied. Probably the brute Ironhide just waiting see how long it would take her to burst into tears. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She would sit there and bite her lip until it bleed.

Ratchet groaned he didn't give a darn how big her shop was. Not that it was all that big, but sharing it with Ironhide constantly growling and a surprisingly bubbly Kami was about to fry his last nerve. The human female for the most part was over having found a boa constrictor in her backyard, last night.

"Kami why are there snakes here from South America and Africa?"

She froze at the mention of snakes. She glanced around to make sure the yellow hummer wasn't holding one and inspecting it. She really couldn't handle a repeat of last night. She cut her eyes toward the Topkick he at once snarled at her but at least he wasn't holding a snake. Apparently the big guy didn't like snakes or her.

She shrugged. "No idea. I mean I certainly don't collect the things. Don't like them. I guess people have 'em and well they grow too big or otherwise become unwanted. It is a bit odd though, there is after all only one tree directly behind my shop and two miles in each direction just ground go figure."


End file.
